Don't you just hate spoilers? I do, too. That's why I always try to include warnings. However, I sometimes ramble a bit too much here or there and maybe a few (or many) key plot points slip without me giving proper notice. So I'd like to include a blanket spoiler warning for the weary internet travelers of the world: Here There Be Spoilers. You've been warned.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Attack On Titan Vol. 12 by Isayama Hajime

Cocaine wrapped in tobacco wrapped in heroin wrapped in xanax without any of the negative side effects. That is probably the best way to describe the feeling I get from all things Shingeki no Kyojin at this point. This series has kicked my butt so much that I will probably need a butt transplant. Once this manga does conclude I will probably start going through withdrawals and temper tantrums and just be an all-around unpleasant person (more so than usual) to be around for about three weeks to five months. It all depends on my rate of recovery.

Volume 12 brought down the house. This really is a case of each volume getting better and better. We left off with Ymir and Eren being held captive in the Titan Forest by Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover, now known as the Armored and Colossus Titans, respectively.

For whatever reason the girl formerly known as Krista Lenz and now known as Historia Reiss plays some sort of role in Reiner's motives and for a while it seems that Ymir and Reiner have a common goal. Eren, even though he is technically in the same situation as Ymir, feels that he can't trust Ymir. I don't blame him, either. Considering that, with the exception of Eren, all of the Titan-shifting people introduced to the story have shady motives.

Actually it seems like almost everyone has a shady motive. I'm not really sure if anyone can be trusted at all outside of Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and a few others.

Just what the final goal of Bertolt and Reiner is is a bit of a mystery, but it is made clear that they are searching for someone who has the ability of the "Coordinate." That is why they left their homeland.

Just what a "Coordinate" is isn't made clear, but they do seem to find what they are looking for at the end of this volume. The only problem is that they aren't so happy with who seems to possess just such an ability. However, it appears to be an ability that can control titans. Although I'm not sure if that is quite the case or not. There's probably a lot more to it.

Now, before everyone starts clamoring for more Levi (he's been noticeably absent lately), I think we should all start giving some props to Commander Erwin. In this volume he really proves his worth as a leader. Erwin hasn't really had a lot of time in this series as far as "main character" moments go. Not since the fiasco in the Titan Forest when the Survey Corps. tried unsuccessfully to capture the Female Titan has he really had a lot of face time.

In this volume Erwin has his moment and it is indeed a glorious one.

More and more, I can't wait for the anime to resume. All of this is going to be AMAZING as an anime. Anyone who hasn't read the manga up until this point is going to be rocked to their core.